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This tutorial shows how you can set up an Ubuntu 14.04LTS (Trusty Tahr) desktop that is a full-fledged replacement for a Windows desktop, i.e. that has all the software that people need to do the things they do on their Windows desktops. The advantages are clear: you get a secure system without DRM restrictions that works even on old hardware, and the best thing is: all software comes free of charge.

Ubuntu 14.04 will by default start the new Unity ver 7.2 desktop which requires that your hardware supports 3D acceleration,however you can also switch to Ubuntu 2D mode in the log on screen. If your hardware does not support 3D acceleration or you don't like Unity,you can still switch back to 2D version or download one of the countless alternatives.

I want to say first that this is not the only way of setting up such a system. There are many ways of achieving this goal but this is the way I take. I do not issue any guarantee that this will work for you!

1 Preliminary Note

To fully replace a Windows desktop, I want the Ubuntu desktop to have the following software installed:

Other:

VirtualBox OSE - lets you run your old Windows desktop as a virtual machine under your Linux desktop, so you don't have to entirelyabandon Windows

TrueType fonts

Java

Read-/Write support for NTFS partitions

Synaptic Package Manager

gdebi Package Installer

Lots of our desired applications are available in the Ubunturepositories, and some of these applications have been contributed by the Ubuntu community.

As you might have noticed, a few applications are redundant, forexample there are two CD/DVD burning applications in my list (Brasero, K3B). If you know which one you like best, you obviously don't need toinstall the other applications, however if you like choice, then of course you can install both. The same goes for music players likeAmarok, Banshee, Rhythmbox, XMMS or browsers (Firefox, Opera, Chromium).

I will use the username howtoforge in this tutorial. Please replace it with your own username.

2 Installing The Base System

The installation of the base system is easy as 1-2-3 because the Ubuntu installer doesn't offer a lot of options to choose from, so you cannot go wrong.

Select your language and click on the Install Ubuntu button to start the installation:

On the next screen you see a few requirements for the Ubuntu 14.04 installation (the system should have at least GB available drive space and should be connected to the Internet). Please check the Download updates while installing and Install this third-party software (this will install the software necessary to process Flash, MP3, and other mediafiles) checkboxes and click on Continue:

Now we come to the partitioning of our hard disk. Usually Erase disk and install Ubuntu is a good choice, unless you need custom partitions and know what you're doing. Erase disk and install Ubuntu will create one big / partition for us:

Select the hard drive that you want to use for the Ubuntu installation. Then choose your time zone:

Change the keyboard layout, if necessary:

Type in your real name, your desired username along with a password,and click on Continue:

Afterwards, Ubuntu is being installed. This can take a few minutes,so be patient:

After the installation, you will be asked to reboot the system.Click on Restart Now:

At the end of the shutdown process, you are asked to remove the Ubuntu installation CD from the CD drive. Please do this now and press ENTER.

Your new Ubuntu system starts. Log into the desktop with the username and password you provided during the installation:

Over 8 years of experience as a Linux System Engineer. Srijan is an RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer) with in-depth knowledge in RHEL and CentOS, he also worked a lot with Debian and Ubuntu based systems, VM management and installing and maintaining hosting servers.

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7 Comment(s)

Comments

Sorry but Ubuntu is not a perfect desktop at all. Especially the 14.04 version. The number of plug-in which are enabled by default in the dash is terrifying. Ubuntu is more and more bloated and filled with craps which destroy the user experience.

My wife had always used Ubuntu. When I updated to v14.04, I had full of problems. First I removed the craps, then suddenly the theme disappears (no windows, no buttons). After a few hours, I decided it was enough and I switched to XFCE. Xububtu 14.04 for now. Strangely enough my wife likes it better. Conclusion, we are 3 with totally different skills. We had all tried Ubuntu for more than a reasonable period. And we all hate it.

Since Ubuntu 12.10 Unity 2D is no longer available. So in 14.04 you can not switch to 2D mode in the log on screen and you can't install the 2D version. References: http://www.geek.com/news/canonical-dumps-unity-2d-for-ubuntu-12-10-1510213/, http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/08/unity-2d-removed-from-ubuntu-12-10.

Hi. I have Ubuntu 14.04 and it is quite ok considering that it is FREE. Sure there are many problems, for example when adding programs you must know what to do, because there are lots of different downloading places and also many different installing instructions in the iternet. Just a while ago I had to reinstall ubuntu because it complitely halted after I had installed xscreensaver with bad installing instructions as I later found out. There is no perfect operating system and never will be.